ApproveThis + Join By Text: How to Automate Approval Workflows for SMS Lead Capture

Why These Two Tools Are Better Together

Let’s get real: manual approval processes are where good ideas go to die. You’ve got marketing teams collecting leads via SMS with Join By Text, and then… crickets. Someone’s gotta approve those new subscribers, right? Cue the endless Slack pings, forwarded emails, and spreadsheet acrobatics. That’s where ApproveThis comes in – it’s like adding a turbocharger to your decision-making engine.

When you connect Join By Text (that slick tool letting people text keywords to join your email lists) with ApproveThis through Zapier, you’re not just streamlining approvals – you’re eliminating the black hole where subscriber requests get stuck. We’re talking real-time routing, automatic reminders, and approvals that happen faster than your morning coffee brew.

What Each Tool Brings to the Party

Join By Text: The Lead Capture Workhorse

Join By Text does one thing exceptionally well: turning phone screens into email signups. Trade shows, billboards, radio ads – wherever you drop that keyword, people can text to join your list. No apps, no forms, no 15-step processes. Just pure lead capture simplicity.

ApproveThis: The Approval Sheriff

ApproveThis is where you stop playing approval whack-a-mole. Custom workflows? Check. Automatic escalations when budgets hit thresholds? Yep. Letting approvers say yes/no via email without logging into another system? Oh yeah. And here’s the kicker: your approvers don’t need a Join By Text license. Perfect for agencies approving client campaigns or sales teams vetting partnership leads.

Three Ways This Combo Saves Your Sanity

1. No More “Who Approved This?!” Moments

Picture this: Your team’s running a text-to-join promo for 20% off. Subscriptions pour in, but legal needs to approve the discount terms for each subscriber segment. With the integration:

• New Join By Text subscriber → Zapier triggers ApproveThis
• Request auto-routes to legal + marketing leads
• Approvers click approve/reject in email
• Approved? CRM gets updated automatically

Result: Campaigns launch 3x faster, compliance stays intact, and nobody’s chasing down VPs in the parking lot.

2. Kill Subscription List Chaos

Event planners: This one’s for you. When attendees text “CONFERENCE2024” to join your VIP list, ApproveThis can:

• Auto-flag corporate domains for sponsor approval
• Route student emails to education leads
• Escalate high-value attendees to sales directors

Bonus: Use calculated fields to prioritize requests based on subscriber location or company size.

3. Client Services That Don’t Suck

Agencies – stop drowning in client approval requests. When a new subscriber comes through your client’s Join By Text campaign:

→ ApproveThis pings the client’s team via email
→ They approve/reject without logging into your systems
→ Denied? Auto-send a polite “Thanks but no thanks” SMS

Pro tip: Set up vacation delegation so client PTO doesn’t bottleneck campaigns.

Setting This Up Without Losing Your Mind

Here’s the 4-step no-BS guide:

1. Zapier Setup: Create Zap with Join By Text trigger (New Subscriber)
2. Connect ApproveThis: Use “Create Request” action – map subscriber data to approval fields
3. Configure Rules: In ApproveThis, set thresholds (e.g., auto-approve under 100 requests/day)
4. Test Drive: Text your keyword – approval should hit inboxes within 60 seconds

Total setup time: 23 minutes (we timed it).

Who Benefits? (Spoiler: Everyone)

Marketing Teams: Launch Faster, Burnout Slower

Enterprise marketing squads use this integration to:

- Automatically route promo subscribers to regional managers
- Require dual approval for high-volume campaigns
- Track approval times to optimize launch calendars

Operations: Be the Hero Without the Late Nights

Ops leads at scaling companies love:

- Auto-archiving approved subscriber lists to SharePoint
- Sending rejected contacts back to sales teams for follow-up
- Generating audit trails for compliance reviews

Client-Facing Teams: Look Pro Without the Headaches

Agencies and consultants get brownie points for:

- Giving clients direct approval power via email
- Creating white-labeled approval status pages
- Using approval metrics to upsell workflow audits

The Bottom Line

Combining ApproveThis with Join By Text isn’t about flashy tech – it’s about fixing the crap that wastes your team’s time. Less chasing, more doing. Fewer errors, more confidence. And zero “I thought YOU approved that!” meetings.

Next steps:
1. Book a 15-minute demo – we’ll show how to adapt these workflows for your biz
2. Already using Join By Text? Try the Zapier template in 10 minutes flat

Because life’s too short for approval drama.